Welcome back and a happy new year to every reader! May everyone experience goodness and favor in 2026.
The year started off well with the Picking training and 1,2,3 Work program. Also read more about what happened in December.
Also look out for all the upcoming courses and register to ensure that the people of the Witzenberg Valley continue to Learn and Achieve!

Picking training is a great asset to ensure that the quality of the fruit is not compromised during the picking and harvesting process. When the pickers are trained to pick correctly, it benefits everyone. Jacob Coetzee, Agricultural Manager of the center spoke to a Farm Manager and his words were: “This is the best contribution I can make as a manager to the harvesting process!” Wow! Such positive words. Short and powerful!

This is our 3rd year since we started offering the ever popular 1,2,3 Work Program. We asked some of our current students about their experience with the program.
Elrise Boer said: "I enjoy the classes. It gives me confidence and I am positive about this! It helps me make good decisions and it is a good learning experience. Your background does not matter. You can make a difference!"

"The classes make me very excited and I look forward to it every week! The classes are very interesting and I learn something new every week", said Graig de Wee.

We would like to share this observation: Of the 28 young students who have already been interviewed, 13 indicated that they do not drink alcohol at all, while 8 only drink during social occasions. This means that more than 75% of the students either do not drink at all or consciously limit their consumption. We see this as an encouraging sign that times are changing, and that young people are increasingly making informed and responsible choices about their lifestyle.

This agricultural program is truly progressive training and we can really recommend it to students (matriculants who have already matriculated), who would like to study further in agriculture or do not have the opportunity to study or work somewhere else.

After nine years, we brought the stage back to life with our first music concert since 2016 - a beautiful show full of rhythm, glamour and talent.

A special thank you to Rowen G Music School, who have been part of the project recently and serve as inspiring role models for our learners. What a lovely festive end to 2025.

The Grade 7s learned a lot during their camp and are confident as Grade 8 learners for 2026. They learned about the history of Witzenberg, life skills sessions on choices were touched upon, bullying behaviour was addressed, as well as substance abuse.
A big thank you to Togryers Ceres Museum and the Department of Agriculture: Rural Development for your time, input and passion. The learners had an incredibly positive experience.

47 Afrikaans and Xhosa speaking GOBs had their leadership skills sharpened during an energetic and informative session presented by Lennox Plaatjies. The focus was on establishing basic leadership principles that lay a strong foundation for sustainable community work. The new GOBs are ready to take on their important role in the community with confidence and our legendary GOBs are excited to continue their valuable work with passion and dedication.